Sanne Moorman

Sanne Moorman is an Assistant Professor in Neurobiology at the University of Groningen, affiliated with the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences. Her research focuses on auditory-vocal learning and memory mechanisms in songbirds as models for human speech acquisition. She completed her PhD under Johan Bolhuis at Utrecht University, studying neural activity in songbirds using immediate early gene expression techniques. During postdoctoral work, she employed in vivo calcium imaging, pharmacological manipulations, and anatomical tracing to investigate neural connectivity and song performance. She currently leads the Moorman Lab - Behavioural Neuroscience.

Her research interests include the behavioral and neural underpinnings of vocal learning, memory formation, and brain lateralization. She has contributed to understanding how songbirds encode and retain auditory templates for vocal imitation, with implications for human speech disorders.

Key achievements include an NWO Rubicon Fellowship (2014) and over 10 peer-reviewed publications. She teaches courses such as The Neurobiological Basis of Behaviour and supervises students in the BCN Master program. Collaborations span institutions like Boston University and Tufts University, focusing on cortico-basal ganglia interactions and neural plasticity.

Media engagements include public talks on birdsong and speech disorders, reflecting her commitment to science communication. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to advancing knowledge and innovation in life sciences.